The five biggest surprise performers of 2026/27 after Matchday 4
There are some unexpected teams at the business end of the table as the Bundesliga pauses for an extended international break, making it the perfect time to take a look at the unforeseen stars of 2026/27 so far.
Phillip Tietz
Club: Mainz (5th)
Position: Forward
The 29-year-old marksman is known to deliver goals, previously hitting 21 in four Bundesliga seasons for Augsburg and his current club, but not on the same scale as in the opening weeks of 2026/27.
By turning in an early equaliser in a helter-skelter 4-3 win at Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 4, Tietz netted his fourth goal in three games, putting him on track to beat his record top-flight goals' tally of eight in 2023/24.
Watch: Borussia Mönchengladbach 3-4 Mainz - highlights
His appetite for goals is apparent in his all-round burly centre-forward play, which also sees him among the leading players in terms of duels won and aerial duels won in the league.
Yuito Suzuki
Club: Freiburg (3rd)
Position: Forward
Suzuki is another player in rich early-season scoring form. Four goals in his first season for Freiburg showed his potential, while a brilliant opening-weekend hat-trick against Werder Bremen showed he was primed to press on in the new campaign.
Watch: Freiburg 4-1 Werder Bremen - highlights
If there was any doubt about just how sharp he is, he dispelled it with a superb volley to take Freiburg to a 2-2 draw at Frankfurt on Matchday 4. While Julian Schuster's charges failed to win for the first time this season, they maintained their unbeaten record and top-four place going into the international break.
Olivier Deman
Club: Werder Bremen (6th)
Position: Left-back
Few would have reckoned with Bremen going into the break in the top half after their defeat at Freiburg, and fewer still would have expected the Belgian full-back to be at the heart of a Werder resurgence.
A broken ankle confined him to just 16 appearances last season after he was loaned to Royal Antwerp the previous campaign, but he has literally hit the ground running in 2026/27 - being among the league's leading names for total distance covered and intensive runs - while Bremen have gone unbeaten since that opening-day reverse.
Fabian Rieder
Club: Augsburg (4th)
Position: Attacking midfielder
The Swiss international was a key part of Augsburg's superb start, which had them top the table after Matchday 2 courtesy of a 4-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt - a game in which Rieder found the top corner with a sweetly struck free-kick. Augsburg fell to a 3-2 defeat to Bremen on Matchday 4 despite having led 2-0, but Rieder did pick up an assist for Robin Fellhauer's opener.
Watch: Rieder free-kick finds the top corner
While a 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen and 3-2 loss at Bremen have since brought Augsburg down to earth somewhat after their stratospheric start, assists in both of those games - including a perfectly weighted pass for Robin Fellhauer at the Weserstadion - mean Rieder now has a very impressive four goal involvements so far (one goal, three assists).
Lukas Petkov
Club: Elversberg (8th)
Position: Right winger
Bundesliga newcomers Elversberg are arguably the biggest surprise package of all this season, having sensationally beaten Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach in their first two fixtures before pushing champions Bayern Munich close in a 2-1 loss.
Watch: Elversberg 3-2 Bayer Leverkusen - highlights
While the likes of Maurice Krattenmacher and Cole Campbell have played a part in the underdogs' punchy start, Petkov arguably did more than anyone to get them off the mark in the top flight by opening the scoring against Leverkusen and then laying on a cross for David Mokwa for their third goal in the 3-2 win.
He played the full 90 minutes as his side picked up another point on the road against Schalke on Matchday 4.
The Bulgarian's 13 goals in Elversberg's second-place Bundesliga 2 finish last season showed what he is capable of, but few would have dared to predict such a seamless transition to the top flight for him or his team.
